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How Cheryl Reeve became WNBA Executive of the Year: A play in four acts

Caissa Casarez|
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- JULY 17: Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx high-fives teammates before the game against the Seattle Storm on July 17, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- JULY 17: Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx high-fives teammates before the game against the Seattle Storm on July 17, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Terrific Trades

Whether it was for another player or for a future draft pick, Reeve and company also did well when it came to making trades in the off-season. On the night of the 2019 WNBA Draft, the Lynx traded the rights to second-round draft pick Natisha Hiedeman to Connecticut for guard Lexie Brown, who shined in what some called her second rookie season.

Reeve’s moves continued up until the start of the Lynx’s regular season. Four days before the opener, the Lynx brought in Stephanie Talbot from Phoenix in place of the team’s second-round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. She shined, too, starting nine of 33 games played in the regular season. Talbot scored a career-high 24 points in one of those starts, a win over Atlanta on July 2.

But the biggest trade in the offseason involved a former enemy to the Lynx. Reeve and crew traded reserve Alexis Jones to Los Angeles for guard Odyssey Sims in April. She quickly won over once-skeptical Lynx fans, starting all 34 regular-season games and earning an All-Star bid for the first time in her career. While Sims did get into some legal trouble during the season, she will be a key part of the Lynx’s rebuilding process.

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